Friday Drivetime

At five: discussing the big stories in Bristol, Britain and around the world
After six:  straight talking and investigative reports with Martin Summers and Marina Morris

For all the shows back to Easter 2009  visit the Friday Drivetime archive page

First hour: news review, including focus on the NHS, with Conservative MP for Bristol North West Charlotte Leslie. Economics Quantitative Easing (QE) otherwise known as Printing Money, good or bad idea? Sunday Times report quoted by Michael Meacher MP says the 1000 richest Britons have increased their wealth by an average of £190m each while everyone else has taken a 6% real terms cut in disposable income. New Bank of England Governor Mark Carney who has come from the Nazi funding Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland performs a PR stunt announcing the £10 note will have Jane Austen on but remains tight lipped on interest rates and polymer notes; Energy policy, fracking and shale gas protest yesterday in Sussex, will this soon be coming to the Mendip Hills and is it a viable form of energy? Planned Hinkley 3 nuclear power station near Bridgwater, Danny Alexander announces £10bn of guarantees for nuclear power station but we question the financial viability; Charlotte has talked of a ‘Mafia like network’ at the centre of the NHS. But don’t all industries that are being privatised always have corrupt people to first bring them to their knees? Whistleblowers bullied and persecuted rather than listened to. An exclusive in the Independent this week: a scandal much bigger than phone hacking. Despite millions of taxpayers’ money being spent on investigations the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has failed to prosecute blue chip companies such as banks and insurance firms who hire criminal private investigators to steal personal information. SOCA has been forced to hand the confidential list to Keith Vaz at the Home Affairs Select Committee; Bristol City Council grants repeat planning permission for a car park on the Clifton Downs? Which is owned by the Merchant Ventuters; One Merchant Venturer, John Savage, is chair of the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust and another, Peter Rilett, is chair of the North Bristol NHS Trust and Master of the Merchant Venturers. We hear the voice of President Assad of Syria’s English wife, Asma al Assad. Charlotte visited Syria in February 2011 and was she and her colleagues were controlled by the Assad government and treated like prisoners but with great hospitality.
[audio: 201307261700]
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Irw7SRv-l44&w=480&h=360]

Second hour: The assassination of a secularist politician involved in drafting Tunisia’s new constitution sparked anti-government protests in Tunis, the birthplace of the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’. German built Israeli submarines in the Mediterranean launched the missile attack on Syria. Israel will neither confirm nor deny but their unofficial declaration of war has been rumbled. Implications of breaking international law and trying to provoke Syria and/or Russia to retaliate. Hezbollah militant wing officially designated a terrorist organisation by the EU; Iraq and armed groups releasing hundreds of prisoners from Abu Ghraib prison. Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood. Is the Brotherhood still controlled by MI6 who set it up or has it ‘gone native’? Has or has there not been a military coup in Egypt? Second anniversary of far-right Freemason fanatic Anders Behring Breivik’s massacre in Norway where 77 people, mostly young left-wing activists died. Was he a ‘lone wolf’ as much of the commentary suggests? Or was he supposted by bloggers and activists round the world such as Fyordmann and Pamela Geller? Did he have support from the international far-right networks such as the English Defence League (EDL) and Jewish Defence League (JDL) through the ‘Knights Templar network he helped found in London in 2002? Was Breivik both a Zionist and a Nazi? Did he have help from within the Norwegian police force and from within his masonic lodge(s) bearing in mind the P2 scandal in Italy proved a masonic lodge was carrying out a terror campaign there? The royal birth: Phenomenal success of this YouTube film over the last week where, in her own words, Princess Diana tells of her 1989 confrontation with Prince Charles’ mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles at Camilla’s sister Annabel’s party. Prince Charles gets paid for every penny we spend at Waitrose because he owns the distribution depot and the Queen gets paid for every penny we spend at John Lewis. How does this sit with their constitutional position which also grants them immunity from the Freedom of Information act, the ability to veto laws which damage their financial interests and tax exempt status? Shane Collins is one of the organisers of next week’s Green Gathering in Chepstow and Green Party spokesperson on drug policy, we also discuss Green party energy policy, Shane suggests personal carbon quotas may be a solution to the energy crisis and invites listeners to pop over to Chepstow from Thursday or next weekend. Surprisingly insightful and entertaining North Korean propaganda documentary looks down witheringly at Western consumerism and celebrity culture including Madonna, Brad Pitt Angelina Jolie, Katie Price and Paris Hilton.
[audio: 201307261800]
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